The 1963 National Soccer League season was the fortieth season under the

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

(NSL) name. The season began in late April and concluded in late October with

Toronto Ukrainia Toronto Ukrainians (Sports Association Toronto Ukrainians, uk, СТ (Спортове Товариство) «Україна» (Торонто), translit=ST (Sportove Tovarystvo) "Ukraina" (Toronto)) is a Canadian soccer team. The club was founde ...

defeating Toronto Hakoah for the O’Keefe Trophy (NSL Championship). The regular-season title was won by Italian Virtus by finishing first throughout the regular season.

Overview

The creation of the

Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League The Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League was a soccer league in Canada. The league operated for six seasons from 1961 to 1966 across four cities in two Canadian provinces and one American state. In the 1960s, the Eastern Canada Professional ...

(ECPSL) in 1961 directly affected the

(NSL) financially. The competition including the defection of the top NSL clubs to the ECPSL caused a major decrease in their match attendance throughout the early 1960s. Their drop-in the gate earnings at Stanley Park Stadium contributed to their failure in fully paying their tax and loan payments. The club members successfully managed to pay off their taxes from the 1961 season and received an extension from the

Toronto Board of Control The Board of Control of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was a part of its municipal government until it was abolished in 1969. It served as the executive committee of the Toronto City Council. When it was initially created in 1896 by mandate of the provin ...

for the remainder of their debt. The Board of Control further intervened by volunteering to serve as a mediator between the ECPSL and NSL, with intentions of merging both leagues as a solution to the NSL's financial issues. The NSL had hoped to create a two-tiered league with a

promotion and relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

format, but the proposal was rejected by the ECPSL ownership. League membership decreased from twelve to eight members with several notable clubs departing. A keynoted departure was charter member Toronto Ulster United, which decided to join the amateur ranks in the Toronto and District Soccer League due to financial difficulties. Oshawa Italia and Oshawa Hungaria also returned to the amateur level and Queen City disbanded their team. Toronto Hakoah, a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

-sponsored team was the sole addition to the circuit. Though the season began with eight members Toronto Macedonians withdrew from the competition, due to financial difficulties and the inability to afford quality players to remain competitive. Several of the top players in the NSL were reported to have been earning $100 a week while in the ECPSL top players were earning about $200 per week. Changes occurred at the administrative side midway through the season as Walter Freer resigned as league president and was succeeded by vice-president

Bill Boytchuk William Boytchuk (April 27, 1922 – January 22, 1998) was a longtime city councillor in Toronto, Ontario. He was born near Sniatyn, Poland and after spending several years in Germany immigrated to Canada in 1948. Working as a pharmacist he b ...

. A league scoring record was also recorded by

after defeating Toronto Macedonians by a score of 16-1.

Teams

Standings

Playoffs

Semifinals

''Toronto Hakoah won the series 2-0.'' ''Toronto Ukrainia won the series 2-0.''

Finals

References

External links

RSSSF CNSL pagethecnsl.com - 1963 season
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Soccer League 1963 Season 1963–64 domestic association football leagues

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...